Mailing booklet with detachable envelope blanks



Aug.'20,1957 1 1-. ELLIOT?" 2,803 3 MAILING BOOKLET WITH DETACHABLE ENVELOPE BLANKS Filed May 21, 1956 \/2 1 01402: NA ME M 5 CITY 4 /2 STATE v /7 f -ze INVENTQR ATTORNEY United States Patent fi Z,8@3,338 Patented Aug. 20, 1957 MAILING BOOKLET WITH DETACHABLE ENVELOPE BLANKS Austin L. Elliott, Thomasville, N. C. Application May21, 1956, Serial No. 586,175

2 Claims. (Cl. 206-57) This invention relates to a book or booklet which can be conveniently mailed for handling as letter-size circular mail, and which can be conveniently carried by the user thereof in a garment pocket or in a purse.

Another object of the invention is to provide a booklet having a plurality of leaves each constituting a record retaining stub and a detachable envelope blank.

A further object of the invention is to provide a booklet of the aforedescribed character wherein each envelope blank is so constructed that it may be folded to form an envelope and effectively sealed by an adhesive bearing part of one flap thereof for containing either coins or paper money.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide an envelope blank of the aforedescribed character which is uniquely constructed so that all four flaps thereof will be sealed together by an adhesive surface of one of the flaps and in a manner to enable the envelope to be easily opened with a bladed instrument such as a letter opener.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawing, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the booklet as prepared for mailing;

Figure 2 is a plan view thereof with removed;

Figure 3 is an enlarged edge elevational view looking toward one longitudinal edge of the booklet;

Figure 4 is a plan view of one of the detachable envelope blanks shown removed from the booklet and partially folded, and on an enlarged scale relative to Figure 2, and

Figure 5 is an enlarged sectional view, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 5-5 of Figure 4 and showing the envelope completely folded and sealed.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, a mailing booklet with detachable envelope blanks in its entirety and comprising the invention is designated generally 6 and includes a front or top cover 7, a bottom or back cover 8 and a plurality of corresponding sheets or leaves, each designated generally 9. The covers 7 and 3 are formed of cardboard or other suitable board stock and the sheets or leaves are formed of paper. Each sheet or leaf 9 includes an end portion forming a stub 10. The remainder of each sheet or leaf 9 constitutes an envelope blank, designated generally 11.

A plurality, preferably 52 sheets 9 are stacked between the bottom cover 8 and the top cover 7. Said covers are secured together along corresponding ends thereof by suitable securing or binding means such as staples 12, certain of which extend through the end portions of the stubs 10, which are located remote from the blanks H for binding the sheets 9 together between the covers 7 and 8. The booklet 6 is preferably closed at its normally open end as by means of a staple 13 which extends the top cover through the covers 7 and 8 beyond the outer ends of the blanks 11, and by which the booklet 6 is maintained closed for mail transmittal. The outer side of the front or top cover 7 contains printed matter 14 which may include the name of a church which issues the booklet and which may also include spaces for filling in the name and address of a person to whom the booklet is to be mailed. Said outer side of the cover 7 is also provided with a space 15 to receive a postage stamp or a meter impression.

The stub 10 of each leaf 9 is separated from the envelope blank 11 thereof by a perforated line 16, as seen in Figure 2. The upper side of each stub 10 contains printed indicia 17 and spaces to be filled in adjacent thereto so that the date can be filled in and the stubs can be employed by the user to keep a record of the amount pledged, the amount of the pledge remaining to be paid, the amount of each contribution made and the date of such contribution, and the unpaid balance of the pledge remaining after each contribution. Thus, a bookkeeping record similar to that maintained on checkbook stubs is provided for by the stubs 10.

Each blank 11 includes fold lines 18 forming a rectangle and by which the blank 11 is divided into a central portion 19 and four flaps 20, 21, 22 and 23, and the outer side of the central portion 19 includes indicia 24, which may include the name of the church, the name of the donor and a blank space to be filled in with the amount of the donation contained in the envelope formed from the blank.

The booklet 6 preferably contains 52 sheets 9, one for each week of a year. After the booklet is received by the donor, the staple 13 is removed. A running account is kept on the stubs 10, as previously described. Each time that a contribution is to be made, as for example each Sunday, the uppermost one of the remaining blanks 11 is torn from its stub 10 along the perforated line 16 of said sheet and the amount to be contributed and the name of the donor is then filled in on the outer side of the central portion 19 of the blank. Paper money folded twice into one quarter of its original size, as seen at 24, or coins can be placed on the inverted central portion 19 after which the side flap 20 is folded thereover. The end flaps 22 and 23 are then folded inwardly and so as to partially overlie the ends of the flap 20. The inner side of the other side flap 21 is provided with an adhesive coating 25 which extends around the border thereof. The coating 25 is moistened in a conventional manner, after which the fiap 21 is folded inwardly so that the adhesive bearing area 25 thereof will overlie and be secured to portions of the flaps 20, 22 and 23 to completely seal the four flaps together for closing the envelope, as seen in Figure 5. The flap 21 may be provided with an extension forming a tab 26 which is located beyond the adhesively coated area 25 thereof and which may be employed to facilitate the sealing and opening of the envelope, or which may be omitted.

The portions of the end flaps 22 which ovelap the flap 21'} adjacent two corners of the envelope 27 provide unsealed corners 28 at the back of the envelope 27, into either of which a blade of a knife or envelope opener can be readily inserted to enable an end of the envelope 27 to be opened. It will also be apparent that the envelope cannot be opened without tearing the envelope, as aforedescribed, or breaking the adhesive seal, since the adhesive 25 securely connects all four of the envelope flaps.

While the booklet 6 has been described for use by a church, it will be readily apparent that it is equally well adapted to be used by other organizations to whom periodic payments are made. The booklet 6 will provide a convenient replacement for contribution envelopes which are normally packaged in boxes and which boxes are inconvenient to handle and mail.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated and may obviously be resorted to, without departing from *the spirit or scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim'as my invention; V

1. A mailing booklet comprising a top wall and a bottom Wall forming a cover and a plurality of leaves, each leaf including an end portion forming a stub, said leaves being contained between the cover walls and said stubs being bound together and to the cover at one end of the booklet; thetirnprovernent which consists of an envelope in an envelope forming position, said end flaps and side flaps being coextensive with the ends and sides, respectively, of the central panel, adhesive securing means carried only by said second side flap and comprising a strip of adhesive coating extending along each side edge and across an outer portion of one side of said second flap whereby when the envelope is sealed in an operative position the second side flap will seal all of the flaps together.

2. A mailing booklet as in claim 1, wherein said second side flap is further provided with a pull tab extension on the free end thereof and disposed beyond an adjacent portion of said adhesive strip, and said first side flap being detachably connected to the stub.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

